England’s attack humiliates North Macedonia and shows why they are capable of winning Euro 2024

England 7-0 North Macedonia (Kane 29′, P 73′, Saka 38′, 47, 51′, Rashford 45′, Phillips 64′)

OLD TRAFFORD – Is it really only a year since Gareth Southgate’s Nations League nadir?

He looked like a man of the precipice then, hounded out of Molineux by a Wolves crowd hungry for blood after a Hungary humiliation.

Fast-forward 12 months to mid-summer in Manchester and the sun is once again shining on Southgate’s effervescent England. If he really did consider deserting after the desert disappointment in Doha, his decision to stay looks a wise one.

Nobody expected North Macedonia, sandwiched between South Africa and Iceland in the world rankings, to put a dent in England’s perfect record but they arrived in Old Trafford with some notable scalps on their record. They left it with their worst international defeat, ears ringing after being boxed into submission by a Southgate side that looks increasingly at ease going for it.

It would be a stretch for Southgate to emulate England’s cricketing cousins and go all Bazball at next summer’s Euros but there’s an increasing body of evidence that attack might be the best form of defence given the rich resources at his disposal.

If that prospect tempts him, the man wearing the No. 10 shirt at Old Trafford is surely key. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deployment in midfield is the biggest plus to come from this low-key international break and opens up so many possibilities for England.

His combination work with the brilliant Bukayo Saka was irresistible here, teeing up the Arsenal man for his second goal with a splendid 50-yard pass that showcased why any successful England team will surely find room for him.

Against better teams England will be asked more pressing questions. But why overcomplicate things when this version of the Three Lions can cause problems for anyone?

The seven-goal margin felt about right and unlike a year ago, a year of possibility unfolds ahead of them.

England simply don’t do qualification jeopardy these days. When Group C was drawn you might have expected them to sweat a bit but England carry the look of a team that believe they are an elite international outfit these days and quite often play like it.

Italy in Naples really was no bother so unpicking an obdurate North Macedonia, a team that have twice held England to home draws in their recent history remember, held no fear whatsoever.

This one was competitive for all of half an hour as an England team winding down after a mammoth 324-day campaign took their time to probe the angles and work out how best to unsettle visitors who came to sit. After that it was a rout, England goals arriving with a regularity which kept a well-oiled Old Trafford entertained.

It was no surprise that Harry Kane was the man to pierce the red resistance, sweeping home a move that was made in Manchester as Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw combined intelligently.

Kane scoring and taking in the acclaim of the Stretford End? Manchester United fans can dream and so too can the club’s social media admin, whose caption on a half-time picture of Rashford and Kane embracing was “living every United and England fan’s dream”.

The transfer watchers spied a subliminal message but Tottenham’s intransigence and the turgid pace of United’s takeover mean it’s odds on that the only time they’ll dovetail in red is if England are decked out in their away kit.

Still, at least they have this version of Rashford to look forward to next season.

So much has happened in this drawn out season it’s no wonder so many subplots have been submerged by the bigger narrative of all-conquering Manchester City and Lionel Messi’s World Cup swansong.

But Rashford was England’s lost soul a year ago, his form so anaemic for such an extended period that you wondered whether he’d ever be seen at Old Trafford again. Yet here he was, ending the marathon campaign with a sprint as he made a compelling case that he is England’s best bet at breaking between the lines.

Sure enough he scored on half-time, the easiest of finishes after Kane’s pressure won back possession for Jordan Henderson. England’s midfield stalwart prodded the ball to Rashford and he couldn’t miss.

Saka had slammed his first past the hapless Stole Dimitrievski by then, darting into the box elegantly. Two more would follow before Kalvin Phillips, on as a substitute, rolled his first England goal to end a difficult season in style.

A Kane penalty rounded off the scoring as referee Istvan Kovacs, mercifully, blew on 90 minutes to spare North Macedonia the ignominy of injury time.

Minds can now start to turn to the most open Euros in memory. With the ill-fated, Covid-ravaged multi-city tournament of 2021 firmly in the rearview, Germany will have the feel of a proper championships with the beer taps back on and none of the unease of Qatar’s showy sportswashing.

England will travel in very good shape, the core of this team forged in the fire of two major tournaments in which they have shown flashes of looking like the real deal.

There should be allowances for bolters to emerge from the Premier League season – keep an eye on Morgan Gibbs-White – but we know the shape of England’s attacking arsenal.

And it’s brimming with tournament-winning potential.